When the Ping An Finance Center was finally completed this year, it reached the pinnacle of Shenzhen, China’s obsession with high-rises. Standing 1,965 feet high, the sleek 115-story office building is the second tallest in China and fourth tallest in the world. It’s also the tallest new building to come from this year’s record-setting boom in skyscraper construction.
Around the world, there are a staggering 144 new towers that reach above 200 meters (660 feet) tall. That’s more than have been built in any other single year, according to a report from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. That includes an unprecedented 15 “supertall buildings,” defined as reaching at least 300 meters (980 feet) tall.
